Urban Villages: Mile-Ex’s multiple personalities

Olivia Collette, Special to The Gazette01.11.2014

Dinette Triple Crown co-owner Nicole Turcotte (right, with Diana Kazarashvili) credits affordable rent in Mile-Ex for her ability to establish a restaurant earlier than originally expected. “It wasn’t until after we opened it that we realized we’d planted oursleves right in an area that’s up-and-coming,” Turcotte said.Vincenzo D'Alto
/ The Gazette

Steven Horwood orders a coffee as Iris Lapid prepares one, at Dépanneur Le Pick-Up, which has served as a convenience store, a lunch counter and sometimes both.Vincenzo D'Alto
/ The Gazette

Here is a general map of the Mile-Ex area of Montreal for our series on up and coming neighbourhoods at montrealgazette.com/urbanvillagesDawn Lemieux
/ The Gazette

Alex Sirois, background, and Steeve Pelletier opened Emporium barbershop on St-Zotique St. in June 2013, and are happy to be part of Mile-Ex’s surge in activity.Vincenzo D'Alto
/ The Gazette

Lofty interior of the architectural firm, Atelier VAP, in the Mile-Ex neighbourhood.Vincenzo D'Alto
/ The Gazette

Snow falls lightly on a former industrial building that has been converted to loft-style condos in the Mile Ex district of Montreal on Thursday, December 26, 2013.Allen McInnis
/ The Gazette

Many Mile-Ex homes, including this residence on Beaumont Ave., reflect the neighbourhood’s history as an industrial area.Allen McInnis
/ The Gazette

The Marconi St. offices of the EyeSteelFilm documentary production company take up about 5,000 square feet and cost about half as much as their previous Plateau digs.

Many Mile-Ex properties were converted, such as this Jeanne-Mance St. building, but zoning laws have been introduced to preserve the area’s industrial/residential blend.Allen McInnis
/ The Gazette

Saucier + Perrotte Architectes’ offices are located in an old textile factory on Waverly St. While the space was renovated, many of the old structural elements remain, and sewing needles can still be found between the cracks of the floorboards.Olivier Blouin
/ Olivier Blouin

A triplex on St-Urbain St. near Beaumont is an example of the contemporary architecture Mile-Ex is known for.Allen McInnis
/ The Gazette

Related

This is the seventh story in a series called Urban Villages, in which we look at Montreal’s up-and-coming neighbourhoods. For many years, the Plateau-Mont-Royal has been the city’s most sought-after borough, with its cool hangouts, shops and restaurants. In this series, we explore less expensive areas where the mix of amenities is also flourishing. This week, we go to Mile-Ex.

MONTREAL - It’s hard to get a handle on Mile-Ex. This peculiar 1.5-square-kilometre enclave is both old and new, both industrial and residential, not quite Mile-End or Park-Extension.

Even its name is debatable. To many people who have been here longer than five years, it’s still Marconi-Alexandra, so named for two streets that cut through the sector. Those who have lived here longer than 15 years might consider it part of Little Italy. Some even call it WeLIta, for West Little Italy. Mile-Ex is a recent moniker that sits better with newer crowds, or with people who don’t live or work here at all.

To find it, look for a sudden wave of old factory spaces and autobody shops, north of the CP tracks past Van Horne Ave., wedged between Parc Ave. and Clark St.

Technically, this area is part of the Rosemont–La-Petite-Patrie borough. So it can cause a stir when people argue that it stretches beyond Jean-Talon St. over to de Castelnau St., which is part of Villeray. Just about everyone you ask in this area will have an opinion on it, and that opinion may depend on whether or not they call the place Mile-Ex.

Since 2009, François Limoges has been city councillor for the St-Édouard district, which covers this area. He has embraced its weirdness. “The streets go back on themselves and have bizarre angles, with lots of one-ways,” he explains. “It’s not in a grid like the rest of the district. There are industrial streets next to residential ones; that mix has been there forever, and we want to preserve it.”

To do so, zoning laws were updated to prevent more industrial spaces from being converted into residential properties. As a result, these roomy buildings attract the creative industry, with filmmakers, architects and designers moving into the grand lofts.

For many decades, until the 1990s or so, the factories that distinguish Mile-Ex housed textile manufacturers, food-processing plants and many other enterprises. Because most of these companies have since disappeared, the advent of a new workforce is welcome.

Since some old factories and body shops were converted before the zoning restriction, those projects represent one of Mile-Ex’s virtues: experimental contemporary architecture. Ranging from condo buildings to single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes, that kind of design is uncommon in Montreal’s more historic residential neighbourhoods, like the Plateau, where heritage laws enforce esthetic consistency. Or as some Mile-Ex interviewees put it, “homogeneity.”

So how did these newfangled Mile-Ex projects get approved? City planner Gisèle Bourdages told La Presse that the concrete façades and tall windows that characterize many of the newer constructions match Mile-Ex’s industrial look, so they were permitted.

Limoges agrees, adding that some of the residences were built to replace decaying buildings that were about to be demolished, and as such, contemporary architecture in such a varied neighbourhood was encouraged, though renovation projects still have to respect the architecture that’s already there. “This is one of those rare neighbourhoods where we had a lot of space to build these new constructions,” Limoges says.

Architectural consultant Éric Millette calls Mile-Ex’s quirky mix of industrial and residential spaces “eclectic but coherent.” It’s part of what drew people in his field to the neighbourhood.

One such person is Gilles Saucier, co-founder, with André Perrotte, of Saucier + Perrotte Architectes. His firm moved to the neighbourhood about eight years ago. A staunch member of Team Marconi-Alexandra, Saucier liked the area so much, he bought the Waverly St. building the firm is located in and moved into the top floor.

“We had to do a lot of renovations, but the building was safe and sturdy, designed to support heavy loads,” Saucier recalls.

Like many of the old factories in this area, the Saucier + Perrotte building once housed a textile manufacturer. Saucier says he and his colleagues sometimes still find sewing needles in the cracks of their wood floors.

Saucier couldn’t ask for a better place to live and work. There’s just one thing that really bugs him: the Parc des Gorilles debacle.

Parc des Gorilles is a green space bordering the CP tracks. It was lined with trees until the property’s owner, Olymbec, cut them all down, ostensibly to decontaminate the site. This move angered Mile-Ex residents and surprised the Rosemont–La-Petite-Patrie borough council, which was planning to develop the green space by blocking any building permits on the site.

“This diagonal space nearly continued to Mile-End,” Saucier says, “so we lost an opportunity to connect the neighbourhoods. It could have been easily linked to the bike path (on Clark St.), or it could have been a green strip like the High Line (linear park) in New York.”

Residents have joined forces to reclaim the area, and while the borough council still wants to develop the park as a green space, Olymbec remains the owner.

Louis-Paul Lemieux is the founder of Atelier VAP, a landscape architecture firm located on St-Urbain St., just below Jean-Talon. He agrees that the concrete-heavy area could use more greenery.

“When our predecessors constructed industrial buildings, they didn’t worry about urban planning, creating green spaces or public places,” Lemieux explains. “Even on a city-wide scale, Montreal is entering an era where it has become more preoccupied with urban vegetation.”

Given carte blanche on the Mile-Ex landscape, Lemieux would focus on preserving its diversity. “I won’t lie: as an urban circuit, it’s a little damaged,” he says. “I’d like to see a stronger, more pointed relationship with the landscape — there are grounds we could turn into urban green spaces without transforming the neighbourhood into a chi-chi environment.”

The fact that Mile-Ex isn’t especially posh attracted Lemieux when his work brought him here in 2003. When he founded Atelier VAP in 2007, he chose to stay because the 5,000-square-foot loft space the firm occupies costs about 50 per cent less than it would elsewhere. The openness and abundant natural light are ideal for the type of work he and his staff do.

Mile-Ex’s large, inexpensive workspaces were also appealing to Mila Aung-Thwin, producer and co-founder at EyeSteelFilm, a documentary production company known for Up the Yangtze and Inside Lara Roxx. In 2011, he and his staff moved from the Plateau to Marconi St.

“Our old place was very expensive, and we lived through all these street renovations on St-Laurent,” Aung-Thwin recalls. “We were right above the Belmont bar, so our rent was very high.”

The Mile-Ex digs are about 5,000 square feet, giving Eye­SteelFilm twice as much space as its previous office, at about half the price. What sealed the deal were the surrounding eateries, which would eventually help with the moviemaking process.

One EyeSteel filmmaker, Ryan Mullins, has been working on a movie called Chameleon, about Ghanaian undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. “(Mullins) comes back with a lot of footage in another language or dialect,” Aung-Thwin says. “We’ve been able to find translators in the neighbourhood through the local Ghanaian restaurants.”

Actor Bill Pullman was involved in the documentary The Fruit Hunters. During his visits to EyeSteelFilm’s offices, he could often be found at Dépanneur Le Pick-Up. “He loved the neighbourhood,” Aung-Thwin recounts.

A lot of life in Mile-Ex indeed revolves around Le Pick-Up, which is known for its pulled-pork sandwiches. Co-owner Penny Pattison may have accidentally coined “Mile-Ex” during an interview with a journalist from La Presse a couple of years ago, though she shies away from using that name.

Le Pick-Up has been around since the 1950s as a convenience store, a lunch counter, or often both, as it is now. “For a long time,” Pattison says, “the customers here were people who worked in the needle trade. Up on the board, we still have sewing needles from when we bought the place. They used to sell those to people who came in to get their lunch.”

Pattison and co-owner Bernadette Houde took over Le Pick-Up in 2008 and have been enjoying a diverse lunchtime crowd, mostly reflecting those who work nearby. In the summer, customers can eat at the picnic tables set up just outside.

“We’re within walking distance of so many of our suppliers: our butchers, the (Jean-Talon) market, our fishmonger, our coffee maker,” Pattison says. “It’s wonderful, and we have great relationships with them.”

Le Pick-Up is off the beaten path, but that’s something Pattison appreciates, and she’s not alone. Grégory Paul, chef and owner of Restaurant Mile-Ex on Jeanne-Mance St., between Beaubien and St-Zotique Sts., thinks it’s a major plus.

“We’re a little hard to find,” he says, “so the people who come really want to be here. It isn’t touristy at all.”

Known for his involvement with Le Hachoir and Le St-Cyr restaurants, Paul feels the affordability of his 21-seat establishment allows him to focus on cuisine.

“The customer pays for the product rather than the rent,” he says. “A hamburger platter on St-Denis could cost you $18. Here, it’ll be half that price, and with an irreproachable quality.”

Low rent was also a factor in bringing Dinette Triple Crown to Mile-Ex in the summer of 2012. Co-owners Nicole Turcotte and Colin Perry — partners in business and in life — had been thinking of opening an eatery for a few years.

“The only reason we were able to do it about two years before schedule was because rent was reasonable,” Turcotte recalls.

In their search, Turcotte and Perry looked at a few spaces on Parc, which were either too big or too small, and twice or three times the price of their current quarters at Clark and St-Zotique.

“It wasn’t until after we opened it that we realized we’d planted ourselves right in an area that’s up-and-coming; there’s all this new business, and people are moving up here,” Turcotte says. “You have the Jean-Talon Market, which is an incredible asset to the entire neighbourhood. In the summer, almost all our vegetables come from Quebec farmers.”

Their Southern U.S. menu boasts fried chicken, brisket and mac and cheese, but Turcotte and Perry aren’t just serving up classics — they’re also getting the community together.

When weather permits, picnic tables pop up throughout Parc de la Petite-Patrie, just across the street from the Dinette. That’s when picnic baskets can be ordered in advance and picked up at the restaurant for lunch or dinner in the park.

“We have about 50 baskets,” Turcotte says. “The park is full. There are kids running around; they’re meeting other kids. You see lots of people talking to each other. It’s not your regular restaurant format where you have your table. Here, people share picnic tables and everyone’s together.”

Like the Dinette, the Emporium barbershop wanted to bring new business ideas to Mile-Ex. Co-owners Alex Sirois and Steeve Pelletier had always worked in men’s styling and grooming, and wanted to take it to the next entrepreneurial level.

“We travelled to New York and London, where we tried different barbershop concepts. That’s where the idea came from. Especially in Williamsburg (a neighbourhood in Brooklyn). It was called Persons of Interest. I got a shave there that was completely amazing,” Sirois remembers.

The pair set up shop in Mile-Ex in June, with Pelletier doing the hairstyling and Sirois overseeing the administrative aspects. Sirois and Pelletier first considered looking into getting a space in the area after spending time at the trendy Alexandraplatz Bar, a converted garage at Esplanade Ave. and St-Zotique that serves as a pub during summer and fall.

Emporium is located on St-Zotique, near Parc. The space is small and a little inconspicuous, making it sometimes difficult for newcomers to find, but Sirois and Pelletier are happy to be part of Mile-Ex’s surge.

“The Mile-End crowd is sick of Mile-End. A lot of people are starting to move up to Mile-Ex, and opening cool shops. The rent is cheaper, people are very nice, and they love it,” says Sirois.

Though the neighbourhood is attracting cool ideas, and the cool people that come up with them, not every business is thriving. Since opening the Pâtisserie Vianou 28 years ago on Alexandra St., Yvianna Valentin has seen how change isn’t always a good thing.

“At the time, there were lots of factories,” says Valentin. “People would come here to have lunch. Now, it’s very quiet. Whole days can go by without seeing a soul. So now, I only do deliveries.”

Where she used to serve sandwiches, soups and salads to factory workers for lunch, she now focuses on supplying baked goods to other Montreal cafés and restaurants.

When it comes to Mile-Ex residents, it’s difficult to nail down a demographic. This neighbourhood doesn’t appeal to specific types, and while Le Pick-Up and Alexandraplatz Bar have certainly absorbed some of Mile-End’s hipsters, that doesn’t mean those same people live here.

Medical secretary Anita Cardone and retired biologist Normand Breton have been living together in the area for 30 years, and still call it Little Italy. They’ve lived in the same 5½ apartment on Mozart Ave. the whole time, renting it from Cardone’s brother. They’ve seen the neighbourhood transform, and have mixed feelings about it.

“There’s been some new construction, and it’s not always for the better,” says Cardone. “It’s changed the old style of the neighbourhood, and there are fewer children than before.”

“There are a lot more condos than there were 30 years ago,” Breton notes. “It’s especially created a problem for parking.”

Sylvie Le Bollocq, a shoe importer from France, bought one of the new condos with her partner two years ago. “Before, I was in Old Montreal,” recalls Le Bollocq. “I prefer this neighbourhood. It’s better suited to my needs. It’s smaller, and close to Little Italy and the Jean Talon Market. That was a real incentive for us. We go to the market at least once per week.”

Musician Mira Benjamin moved here from the Plateau in 2011. She rents a ground-floor 5½ with roommates, and her landlord keeps the place well maintained. Her previous pad was smaller and more expensive, and she finds Mile-Ex friendlier.

“I’ve lived in Montreal for eight years, and it’s the first time I’ve known my neighbours and been friendly with them,” Benjamin says.

Students Naomie Groleau and Patrick Bureau moved here from Ahuntsic in September, sharing a second-floor loft on Mozart Ave. belonging to Groleau’s family.

“I’ve known the neighbourhood for a long time,” says Groleau. “It’s close to the métro and it’s central without being as costly as the Plateau.” But, she adds, the neighbouring restaurants close a little early for her taste.

Notably, Mile-Ex residents don’t tend to work nearby, indicating that the area isn’t quite self-sustaining yet. It’s no Villeray, for example, but maybe it doesn’t need to be.

Mile-Ex has layers of potential, and that’s what makes it so exciting. It’s the most mish-mashed neighbourhood of the Urban Villages series so far, serving variety while leaving room for more. Hopefully, any future developments here will make sure it stays that way.

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